As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available for such a purpose is the information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
As processors, graphics cards, random access memory (RAM), and other components in information handling systems increase in clock speed and power consumption, the amount of heat produced by such components as a byproduct of normal operation has also increased. The temperatures of these components should be kept within a reasonable range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction, damage, reduced performance, and shortened component lifespan. Accordingly, cooling systems, which may include cooling fans, blowers, and liquid cooling systems, are included in information handling systems to cool information handling systems and their components.
Cooling fans can be controlled by a proportional-integral-differential (PID) closed-loop control system. Typical PID closed-loop control is based on a mathematical equation summing proportional, integral, and differential terms of a variable (e.g., cooling fan speed, system temperature, component temperature) being controlled. A controller may be used to generate and output a signal, such as a PID control signal, for control of cooling system components, such as cooling fans, in order to keep system parameters within a desired range. The proportional (P) term may be proportional to the magnitude of the error of the output of the controller, the error being the difference between the current output and a desired output. The P term can help to maintain the variable close to a set value of the variable being controlled in steady state, such as maintaining a temperature of an information handling system at a set level. The integral (I) term may be proportional to the magnitude of the error of the output of the controller and the duration of the error. The I term can help to maintain stability when sudden changes in the variable occur at steady state, such as sudden spikes or drops in system temperature. The derivative (D) term may be proportional to the slope of the error of the output over time. The D term can improve settling time and stability of the PID control system. Traditional PID control implementations are prone to oscillation if not properly tuned. Oscillation occurs when a PID controller repeatedly makes changes that are too large, resulting in the controller overshooting a target variable setpoint. Oscillation may be audibly noticeable to an end user by the fans rapidly changing speed. In addition to this acoustic instability, thermal instability may be introduced into the system when incorrectly controlling a cooling fan. Similar shortcomings may be present in other controllers, rather than only in PID controllers.
Shortcomings mentioned here are only representative and are included simply to highlight that a need exists for improved cooling control systems, particularly for cooling control systems employed in information handling systems, such as data centers and personal computing devices. Embodiments described herein address certain shortcomings but not necessarily each and every one described here or known in the art. Furthermore, embodiments described herein may present other benefits than, and be used in other applications than, those of the shortcomings described above.